Post Classifieds
Men's hockey hits all-time high
By Kyle Bukolt
On March 25, 2012
Buffalo State's men's hockey team first took the ice in the winter of 1993. Nine years
later, the Bengals made their first SUNYAC playoff appearance. Now, following its
2011-12 season, the program has never been better.
The Bengals set the school record for most wins in a season at 13 this year, and
made it to the SUNYAC semifinals for the first time in school history, where they lost
a heartbreaking triple-overtime game against No. 2 Plattsburgh.
Head coach Nick Carriere said he's pleased with how far the team has come since its
inception and thinks that the future of Buffalo State hockey is extremely bright, but
believes that there's still work to be done to take the team to the next level.
"We played 27 games this year," Carriere said. "If you play 28, that means you can
win a SUNYAC championship. If you play 29, that means you can get to a Final Four.
If you play 30, that means you're going to the big dance, and if you're playing that
31st game, chances are that you're playing for the National Championship.
"The teams that are playing in the tournament right now, I think that we're right
there with them."
Carriere believes that the team needs to focus on getting rid of the inconsistencies
that hindered their chances at making it even further than they did. He said the
challenges will be to find out what caused the inconsistencies and then work on
getting rid of them.
Since his tenure as head coach began, Carriere has given the program regimented
structure, paid extreme attention to detail and has held every member of the team
to a high level of accountability.
Upon Carriere's arrival at Buffalo State, he introduced a system that included early
morning workouts, intense practices and the idea of "Lombardi time" (if you aren't
15 minutes early, then you're late). If a player was late to something, they simply sat
out a game.
Carriere was hired as the Bengals' coach in 2005 when the previous coach, Jim
Fowler, and athletic director Jerry Boyes recognized the hockey program's need for
a change.
"I was worn out and I thought that the program needed some fresh blood," Fowler
said. "I looked like a genius when I told Jerry about him, and so far he's made me
look pretty good."
Fowler took over as head coach of the Bengals after the team's third season where
they had accumulated a record of 14-48-6. In his first three seasons, the Bengals
posted a dismal record of 9-57-6.
"The first three years were really rough and I wanted to try to weed out some bad
apples that were on the team," Fowler said. "I thought I had a pretty good nucleus of
guys that were on the same page as me that wanted to build something, make their
mark and leave a foundation for the future. There were a lot of growing pains, but
we were competitive and we started to get better."
Both Fowler and Carriere expressed that recruiting at the Division III level is
particularly difficult because there aren't scholarships to offer to players, but added
that it isn't impossible to build a winning team. Coaches just need to look harder for
players that fit into the Bengals' system.
"I owe a lot of my early success to Jimmy (Fowler) because he was the one that did
the recruiting and brought in the team I had my first few years," Carriere said. "The
biggest challenge is to find the difference makers."
No one on the current Bengals team has proven to be a bigger difference maker than
sophomore goaltender Kevin Carr.
"We recruited a first and second-team All-SUNYAC goaltender and a borderline
All-American in Kevin Carr," Carriere said. "Goalies make coaches look like they're
smart, as a good quarterback does a similar thing.
"We also have Ryan Malinowski, his backup, who is undefeated and has a better
record than Kevin Carr," Carriere continued. "He hasn't played as many games, but
he showed this year that he can beat nationally ranked teams like St. Thomas."
Fowler praised Carriere for his recruiting efforts, saying that his tireless efforts to
find talent have paid off for the program.
"Coach Carriere is doing a very good job of turning over every stone and finding
guys," Fowler said. "He's bringing in guys that are buying into his system and doing
things that he wants out there.
"He's building his program. If he can stay competitive in that upper echelon, I think
they'll be very successful."
Buffalo State has finished in third place in the SUNYAC division the past two
seasons.
"I can see Coach Carriere hopefully in the future getting to that championship game,"
Fowler said. "He has the right group of guys as far as their work ethic goes. At this
level, if you have guys that are all on the same page that are going to work hard,
you're going to be successful."
The 2012-13 season marks the 20th anniversary of the Buffalo State hockey
program and looks to be as promising as ever for the team to make a run towards
that championship.
Kyle Bukolt can be reached by email at bukolt.record@live.com.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
Recent The Record News Articles
Runge's on-court progress parallels off-court success
Buffalo State men's basketball coach Fajri Ansari remembers his decision to recruit Seth Runge out of Springville-Griffith Institute ...
Bashore Baltimore bound after finding success in fashion field
Kelsey Bashore opened her email over spring break and glanced over one particular message several times to confirm what she was ...
Ladies win OT thriller to close season
After being eliminated from the playoffs last week, the Buffalo State lacrosse team knew Saturday's game at Potsdam would be its last ...
Discuss This Article
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST THE RECORD NEWS
- We've Moved to www.buffstaterecord.com!
- Obama divulges new higher education initiative during visit to UB
- Ailing Podolefsky steps down as president
- SUNY appoints Cohen interim president
- President Podolefsky announces leave to fight cancer
- Rappers put Pepsi in a bind
- Congrats to grads: take next step with gratitude
RECENT THE RECORD CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- Tips to “Yard Your Way” This Spring
- Upgraded Upstate Power Grid Will Deliver a Smarter,...
- A Story To Sing About
- The Gap in Gum Care: Why Caring For Your Teeth’s F...
- Top Tips for Signature Scents and Better-Smelling Laundry
- A Dog Trainer’s Top Tips to Support Pets Through Life S...
- Clear the Air of Indoor Pollutants This Spring
- Stroke & Dementia in Black Men: Tips for Staying Healthy...
- Hispanics and African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye...
- African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye Disease
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- New Expo Showcases AI Innovation
- Self-Care and Mental Health Tips for Caregivers
- Adventure Awaits: Discover the Playset that Brings...
- Need Auto Glass Repair? Don’t Despair
- Pioneering Fast and Affordable Broadband for the Underserved
- 7 Reasons Renting an RV Should Be On Every Family’s S...
- Don’t Let Diabetes Shortchange Your Golden Years
- No Child is Forgotten By Marine Toys for Tots
- Sweeten Your Springtime Salads With Healthy Chilean Grapes
- Young Author Translates 4,000-Year-Old Text to Reveal...
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Guidenar Launches New Career Test for Gen Z
- GotIt! Education Offers MathGPT Free to All State & Community Colleges
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- Semiconductor Research Corp unveils 2024 Research Call, $13.8M Funding
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK
